TICE AS NICE Minnesota is 0-4 in the NFL this season, but Vikings coach Mike Tice is 5-4. That's because he also coaches his son's eighth-grade team. "We're 5-0, so that's good," Tice told the Associated Press. "Maybe that's the only level I can win at." Aw, don't be so hard on yourself. MINNY HAPPY RETURNS Thomas Boswell in the Washington Post: "If the Twins can somehow reach the Series, despite ranking 27th among 30 teams in payroll, it's going to be one of the game's legends.

Sheldon Brown wasn't angry, but he definitely had a point to make. After the Philadelphia Eagles had defeated the Minnesota Vikings 27-16 Monday night, Brown was asked if he and fellow 5-10 cornerback Lito Sheppard had finally acquitted themselves of allegations they are too short to be a winning tandem in the NFL. "Me and Lito don't care," Sheppard said. "We don't have to prove anything. This organization drafted us for a reason. A lot of people booed Donovan [McNabb] when he was drafted, so we don't care."

Chad Pennington surprised no one on Sunday. The New York Jets quarterback, starting in his second straight game, picked up where he left off against the Kansas City Chiefs. The big surprise for the Jets, however, was their defense. With cornerback Donnie Abraham and linebacker Mo Lewis leading the way, the Jets turned in their first dominating performance of the season in a 20-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Pennington had the first 300-yard passing game of his three-year pro career and Santana Moss broke the 100-yard receiving mark for the first time in his young career.